James "Pops" Sumner
James R. Sumner was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on May 5, 1929. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on July 30, 1946 and was honorably discharged on August 30, 1949, but returned to active duty on July 19, 1950. He served in Korea from September 1951 until November 1952. He served two tours in Vietnam, from March 1966 until April 1967, and again from July 1968 until September 1969, during which time he was wounded. During his military career, Jim served as an Air Traffic Controller, Tower Chief, ATC Chief, RATTC NCOIC and Customs Inspector. He retired on August 31, 1971.
"Pops" was one of the charter members of our Detachment and worked tirelessly to make it a success. He had a great love and respect for the Marine Corps and the Marine Corps League. Because of the respect and love the members had for him, it was decided to change our detachment name in 2007 to include the name of James "Pops" Sumner.
Jim married Audrey after his return from Korea on November 15, 1952. Together they raised four children and were together until his death on June 7, 2002. His friends and family still miss "Pops" greatly and appreciate the legacy he left behind.